Shepton Mallet Prison launches new Education Programme

Education Behind Bars – All Children Should Go To Prison!

Shepton Mallet Prison puts ‘Education Behind Bars’ with the launch of a newly created National Educational Programme for Schools, Colleges, and Universities.

Created by a team of specialists in education and history, the Education Behind Bars Programme is aligned with the national curriculum and has been designed to support learning through thought provoking exercises and activities.

The new national programme provides education packs for each student and supportive learning materials for teachers, which can be taken back into the classroom, ensuring school visits are truly educational and reach beyond the traditional.

Primary School Children eager to learn about past History.

Education Behind Bars is being delivered nationally across decommissioned prisons, providing students and teachers accessibility into a world which is not often experienced.

With crime rates among young people at shocking highs, crimes such as knife violence, theft, and cyber bullying are on a dramatic rise. A new style of education programme to help combat these issues in our society is urgently needed.

Education Behind Bars, does exactly that, and is the first programme of its kind, revealing the shocking truth of how hard life is behind bars and how prisons have changed over the centuries to what they are now.

Children running with excitement through the wings of Shepton Mallet Prison.

Education Behind Bars pushes the boundaries of what has been done before in any heritage led tourist attraction. Creating a combination of interactive, immersive elements alongside a more traditional style of delivering learning, while making these specific to each Key Stage and providing a first-class education pack for each student, plus resources for the teachers.

Education Behind Bars has been designed to adapt to all ages and abilities, ensuring every student can take part with confidence and gain real outcomes. The programme is offered to all Schools, Colleges & Universities and can also be delivered to SEN & PRU establishments, with adaptions designed to support each students’ individual needs. There is also an option for other groups, such as Home Educators, Scouts, Guides, Sports Groups, and any students which falls outside of mainstream education. Making the programme truly inclusive for all.

The programme will initially be rolled out to two decommissioned prisons, Shrewsbury Prison in Shropshire and Shepton Mallet Prison in Somerset, with other prisons starting later in 2023.

Children screaming with excitement within the wings of Shepton Mallet Prison

Joel Campbell, CEO of Cove Group, who created the programme said:

“We wanted to create a new style of programme to tackle the rising crime rates, but we wanted something meaningful which truly educates the next generation. Creating an immersive experience coupled with traditional education allows us to open the imagination of each individual student, from here we can begin to educate on crime and punishment, and how both have had an impact on our society.

Using our experience of previous education visits as heritage led attractions enabled us to develop something which had never been done before, which will have a huge impact on those taking part.

It just made sense that the best way to tackle rising crime rates in the young, is to show them first-hand what life behind bars is like and connecting them with the reality of this unseen world.

It’s our belief that, every student should experience this programme and it should be part of the national curriculum at each Key Stage.

It’s our belief that, ‘Every Child Should Go To Prison’, (even if it’s just for a few hours).”

Take learning to a whole new level. Find out more about our newly launched Educational Programme to spark your student’s curiosity and imagination with an educational experience to remember.